1 . The Power of Insensitivity
Highly sensitive(敏感的)person, or HSP, is a term invented by psychologist Elaine Aron. HSPs can come with many challenges. They may find it hard to adapt to new surroundings, and easily become uncomfortable in response to certain feelings or others’ opinions.
The power of insensitivity can be explained as “slow power”. Usually, people connect “insensitivity” with something bad, but indeed, it stresses the ability to keep doing something difficult without complaining.
There are some ways to practice “insensitivity”: Don’t pay too much attention to the ups and downs of life at the moment.
Everyone can gain the ability to be insensitive.
A.Insensitivity plays a significant role. |
B.Rather, you should be looking forward. |
C.That’s where the need to be insensitive comes from. |
D.Once you slow down the pace, you will feel more comfortable. |
E.Those not easily affected are the people who care less about others. |
F.That is, calmly facing the downtime in life and moving towards one’s own direction. |
G.One reason why insensitivity allows people to better survive is the strong self-awareness. |
4 . A year back I received a full scholarship to attend the University of San Francisco. All of my hard work had paid off. My mom had spent a lot in my attending a private high school, so I made sure to push myself: I volunteered, joined different clubs, and graduated with honors.
I was so excited to start a new life. I had totally packed two weeks and wanted to go to college at once before it was time to leave.
Soon enough, the big day came, but it wasn’t like what I had thought. The first two weeks were the most difficult days of my entire life. Every night I would cry myself to sleep.
I was so homesick (想家) and I didn’t know how to deal with my broken heart. To distract myself, I threw myself into my studies and I applied for a lot of jobs. In any remaining free time, I started forcing myself to the gym. I wanted to keep every part of my day busy so I wouldn’t think how lonely I felt.
Soon after, I began to limit food, and then I became worse. Finally, I went to see a doctor. When the doctor weighed me, I was crazy about the number of my weight. So I continued to lower my goal, and convinced that controlling this number was the solution to my homesickness. But when I was told that I had no choice but to spend time on my studies. I quickly started recovery in my mind.
How could I do? I told myself that school was what I was best at. I decided to get rid of my homesickness and took exercise actively. My first term of college had passed by at last and I had gotten straight A’s. That’s why I want to share my story—to help other students feel less lonely.
1. How was the author during the two weeks before she left for the college?A.She was as normal as before. |
B.She couldn’t wait to leave for the college. |
C.She was afraid to leave her home. |
D.She didn’t enjoy her mother’s company. |
A.Her weight. | B.Her diet. |
C.Her homesickness. | D.Her bad study habit. |
A.achieve my dream | B.earn money by myself |
C.improve my studies | D.take my attention away |
A.To look back at her past middle school life. |
B.To help girls to lose weight. |
C.To help lonely college students. |
D.To increase her own confidence. |
5 . Have you ever imagined an insect-inspired robot, which weighs less than a gram, could one day help out in surgery (外科手术)?
Scientists have designed this small, “insect-bot” called mCLARI that can control and even change its body shape as it travels in different environments to fit through gaps. It’s 2 centimeters long, weighs less than 0.97 grams and can travel at a speed of 6 centimeters per second.It’s the smaller, faster replacement to CLARI, which was designed by the same team.
“Because of the robot’s small size and ability to change shape, we expect usage of this technology in four important areas,” the lead author Kaushik Jayaram said. These include disaster (灾害) response , check on high-value objects, environmental monitoring and medical treatment.
“In the long term, we hope such robots will be used more widely in moving through human bodies and performing surgeries that can’t be easily done at present,” Jayaram said. With mCLARI, Jayaram’s team is moving closer to creating robots that can fit in different environments—just like the insects they’re inspired by.
The mCLARI robot has four legs and can move in narrow spaces by changing between running forward and side-to-side and can use different speeds in human bodies. Its legs are joined to its body through joints (关节), which enables mCLARI to change its body shape based on the environment it is in. For example, its legs can be lengthened up to 50% in certain spaces.
As follow-up work, the scientists want to give mCLARI more power and sensing ability while helping the surgeries. “We are also excited about understanding the effect of shape change on improving functions of robots,” Jayaram said. “And this is sure a great one-step forward of the technology. The robot will have entered the market by 2025 and will bring greater benefits to mankind, especially in medical treatment.”
1. What is paragraph 3 mainly about?A.Possible application fields of the robot. | B.Different types of the robot. |
C.Several important features of the robot. | D.Working process of the robot. |
A.Valuable but uncontrollable. | B.Modern but high-cost. |
C.Heavy and time-consuming. | D.Advanced and effective. |
A.Worried. | B.Positive. | C.Doubtful. | D.Uninterested. |
A.Jayaram: A Scientist Studying Robot Intelligence |
B.mCLARI Is Already Widely Available in the Market |
C.CLARI: A Robot Invented by Inspiration from the Insects |
D.A Tiny Shape-changing Robot Will Help Perform Surgeries |
6 . Everyone deserves healthy meals. However, unfortunately, not everyone has
A teenager named Lauren Schroeder
“I wanted people to get the nutrition they needed from fresh vegetables,” Lauren said. This
To kick-start her project, Lauren got economic
But all her efforts
So far, she has spent over 1,000 hours working in the garden, producing 7,000 pounds of vegetables. “I want to
A.invitation | B.access | C.admission | D.ticket |
A.especially | B.actually | C.obviously | D.extremely |
A.confirmed | B.appreciated | C.recognized | D.identified |
A.Arranging | B.Determining | C.Struggling | D.Pretending |
A.musical | B.familiar | C.unique | D.low-income |
A.recommended | B.reminded | C.inspired | D.requested |
A.aware | B.confident | C.certain | D.free |
A.took up | B.looked into | C.applied for | D.went over |
A.guidance | B.support | C.pressure | D.benefit |
A.organizes | B.expects | C.promotes | D.demands |
A.amazing | B.specific | C.professional | D.tough |
A.worked out | B.paid off | C.broke off | D.wore out |
A.reward | B.rescue | C.honour | D.donation |
A.impact | B.impress | C.challenge | D.observe |
A.discovery | B.profit | C.difference | D.intention |
7 . Dusting is particularly annoying. Nearly two-thirds of household dust content comes from the outdoors, some of which may contain harmful chemicals. So, keeping your home as dust-free as possible is important to improve overall health.
In general, you should dust your home’s most exposed surfaces on a weekly basis. This means items such as tables, shelves, beds, dressers, counter-tops and windows.
Change your bed sheets weekly, as dust mites (螨) especially love bedding.
Since so much dust comes in from the outdoors, you can cut down on the amount gathering in your home by keeping doors and windows closed as often as possible, and placing carpets on both sides of doors.
Get rid of odds and ends, which can easily attract dust, and be careful how you handle clothes. Since clothes both collects dust and sheds (掉落) fibers, regularly wash any clothes or don’t throw clothing on the ground.
When you’re getting ready to clean a room, always work from the top down.
A.If you dust from the bottom up |
B.How can we keep the home dust-free |
C.Why should we keep the home dust-free |
D.You can remove your shoes when you come home |
E.You can buy some new shoes before you return home |
F.Don’t use feather dusters that simply push the dust around |
G.Items that don’t collect dust easily can go a month without cleaning |
8 . It all began on a cold, rainy day.
Sarah, a poor single mother, was
Sarah
A man, who saw the heartwarming
Reflecting on this unbelievable journey, we can
A.helping | B.continuing | C.struggling | D.seeking |
A.left behind | B.came across | C.looked for | D.turned to |
A.clean | B.cheap | C.fancy | D.thin |
A.followed | B.approached | C.respected | D.caught |
A.complaining | B.staring | C.suffering | D.surviving |
A.Attracted | B.Confused | C.Moved | D.Shocked |
A.connection | B.appreciation | C.duty | D.kindness |
A.exchange | B.invitation | C.option | D.performance |
A.story | B.symbol | C.chance | D.hit |
A.generosity | B.courage | C.curiosity | D.patience |
A.change | B.support | C.direct | D.educate |
A.creativity | B.strength | C.significance | D.description |
A.quick | B.main | C.different | D.extra |
A.recognize | B.expect | C.remember | D.admit |
A.regularly | B.obviously | C.eventually | D.slightly |
9 . In the northernmost edge of Colombia sits the coastal town of Acandí. Access to the town is only by water or air; there is no road that leads there. The residents there are faced with the struggles of balancing livelihoods while protecting biodiversity.
In the past, traditional community fishing methods, passed down by the elders, focused on the reasonable fishing and management of resources. However, the introduction of large-scale trawling vessels(拖网渔船) decades ago gradually depleted the area’s fishing resources, leading to damage to marine(海洋的) life seriously.
Jesús Antonio Julio Cuestas, who serves in the region’s conservation and management of marine resources, stresses the bad impact of these developments and calls for new fishing techniques. “Fishing and conservation co-exist as long as we have good management practices and reasonable use of our fishing resources,” says Cuestas. He and other officials actively monitor fishing activities in Acandí. Each morning, they visit the fish markets to gather data on fishery resources—including prices and sizes—to monitor the state of the local fishing industry.
Along with Cuestas, the fishers work to reduce their impact on the marine ecosystem. By changing fishing methods and adopting new practices, they aim for a more balanced approach to fishing. “This year the local fishermen have not used the trawl net s that were causing the death of the leatherback sea turtles,” explains Cuestas proudly. Changes include the efforts of boats to protect the seagrass that serves as feeding grounds for marine life and an end to fishers throwing net s where turtles lay their eggs.
This marine reserve in Acandí, Cuestas believes, is their greatest treasure. He attaches great importance to working together with local residents to improve the quality of life while preserving the marine ecosystem. By doing so, he imagines a picture where individuals from the fishing community can pursue various careers, such as engineers or lawyers, proudly stating that they are the products of the fishing tradition in Acandí.
1. What does the underlined word “depleted” in paragraph 2 mean?A.Reused. | B.Restored. |
C.Explored. | D.Reduced. |
A.To cut down on the costs of fishing. |
B.To improve the income of local residents. |
C.To promote the well-being of marine wildlife. |
D.To spread traditional community fishing methods. |
A.The aim of the changes to fishing methods. |
B.The efforts to preserve marine ecosystem. |
C.The results the trawl net s have brought about. |
D.The impact of fishers on the local environment. |
A.Confident. | B.Uncaring. |
C.Concerned. | D.Doubtful. |
10 . How satisfied are you with your life? How good do you feel every day? Your answers to those two questions can show how happy you are.
It’s true that your happiness is partly affected by your genes.
Don’t compare yourself to others. Everyone has different talents and abilities. It’s OK that you’re not like someone else. Comparison has been called “the thief of joy”. In addition, forgive yourself often.
Spending time with people you love and that love you is necessary for building strong connections and developing a sense of belonging. By devoting time and attention to those who matter most to you, you can create lasting memories, deepen understanding, and strengthen bonds with each other happily.
Get outside for exercise.Nature helps to reduce stress. Exercise and put your health in the first place.
Stay aware of recent events. But don’t spend hours consuming news, which usually includes negative stories and events.
Since happiness is a choice, why not choose it? Life will look brighter filled with love and joy!
A.You are not perfect. |
B.Invest in your relationships. |
C.Determine happiness through actions. |
D.You could perhaps lead a happier life and feel more satisfied. |
E.But even if you’re not usually a happy person, you can change that. |
F.People who get up and move are usually happier than those who don’t. |
G.The Internet is full of people who look beautiful and seem to lead exciting lives. |